It is not that if we keep these lists, we can get saved and earn God’s approval. We keep these lists because we are already saved by God’s grace, and living such lives demonstrates our saving faith. As the virtue list in Gal. 5 informs us, these are the fruit of the Spirit. It is... Continue Reading

Perhaps as we are laboring in uncommon ways, God may even make iron to float. May the Lord help us to labor diligently in His kingdom in whatever form that labor may take so that we may see many converted and entering the Kingdom.   And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See... Continue Reading

Jeremiah 29:11 by type shows us how God commits to his promise to save and the hope of the resurrection and entrance into the true Promised Land. Through the history of Israel, God was making known to us upon whom the ends of the ages have come what confidence we can have. God will, after... Continue Reading

For Luther, the Christian life is a gospel-grounded, gospel-built, gospel-magnifying life that exhibits the free and sovereign grace of God and is lived out in gratitude to the Savior who died for us, yoked to Him in cross-bearing until death is swallowed up in victory and faith becomes sight.   What do the sovereignty of God,... Continue Reading

There is hope. Even Rehoboam, who had shown no inclination to obey God, listened at the last minute. You can too. It is not too late. You can start listening to God, serve him well from today, and look forward to when all our problems are fixed. Sometimes you cannot fix the issues from the... Continue Reading

Esther 8 doesn’t contain the gospel. There is no mention of God or grace. Nevertheless, chapters like this are tremendously encouraging to my faith.    The book of Esther is laced with mystery. Much of the plot advances based on what people don’t know. Haman doesn’t know Esther is related to Mordecai. Mordecai doesn’t now... Continue Reading

Friendship is a gift from God. Friends mattered to Jesus. Jesus has called us his friends. He is indeed a friend born for adversity who sticks closer than a brother.   Are you a good friend? I hope so. Good friends are one of the greatest gifts of my life. In fact, friendships are one... Continue Reading

I was in one of the Christian discussion groups on Facebook and saw a discussion going on where a young man was being congratulated for becoming the pastor of a “Woke” church. I read what they were saying. I intervened. I asked direct questions about the priority of the Gospel in their ministry. The reaction... Continue Reading

With Tertullian we have an early voice attributing his basic understanding of the Trinity to a Scripturally-based tradition handed down in the Church. Furthermore, he engages polemically with Praxeas on the basis of Scripture, expounding a plethora of verses from the Gospel of John. Remember that the Marcionites, modalists, and others claimed support from the... Continue Reading

According to James Dolezal, “For many theologians the cost of confessing a simple God is simply too much to pay.” Why? Because human language cannot encapsulate God in His essence. These theologians may be open to the doctrine of simplicity up to a point but do not accept the implication that human language cannot “map... Continue Reading